Barca should have made its first-half dominance count against Eibar as chances came and went in the opening 45 minutes, with the Catalans somewhat fortunate to go in ahead after Ander Capa missed an open goal - albeit from a tight angle. The second half brought rewards, however, as the excellent Xavi (set up superbly by Lionel Messi), Neymar and then the Argentine himself got the goals to seal a comfortable 3-0 win....
Spanish champions Madrid became the first side to score 6,000 LaLiga goals as they overturned a 2-1 half-time deficit in Andalusia. Asensio opened the scoring in the 11th minute before Aissa Mandi’s strike and a Nacho own goal saw the visitors fall behind. Sergio Ramos equalised for Madrid and Asensio then notched his second and Madrid’s third to bring up the milestone. Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, either side of a Sergio Leon strike, took Madrid’s tally to 6,002 by the end of the match, and sealed all three points for Zinedine Zidane’s side....
Besiktas 21/10 to beat Porto The centre-back’s wonderful spell at the Santiago Bernabeu came to an end in the summer, when he was released on a free transfer after 10 years of sterling service. But it was far from the end for Pepe, who is once again impressing in his new home of Istanbul. Pepe has been almost ever-present for Besiktas since sealing a lucrative move to Turkey, missing just one Super Lig game....
The 20-year-old has caught the attention of several top clubs with his impressive performances for Leipzig and the Croatian national team in the recently concluded FIFA World Cup in Qatar. According to reports, Real Madrid have offered a fee of €120 million, including bonuses, for Gvardiol. This fee will be paid in two installments. However, Leipzig is reportedly holding out for a higher offer, with Manchester City and Chelsea also said to be in talks for the young defender....
After his winner against Huesca last night, Benzema now has scored against all the LaLiga opponents he faced in his stint with Los Blancos- a feat neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi achieved in their glittering careers. In case you didn’t know… Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo need no introduction. The Argentine and Portuguese talismen have dominated world football for more than the last 10 years and they are still going strong despite getting older....
In case you didn’t know… Real Madrid are struggling this season and are currently 12 points behind their bitter rivals, Barcelona in the league table. Los Blancos were also knocked out of the Champions League and Copa del Rey by Ajax and Barcelona respectively. On the other hand, Jurgen Klopp is currently among the best managers in the world and completely transformed the Reds in around three and a half years....
#1 Mauricio Pochettino wanted This is a natural news, isn’t it? After all, Real Madrid wanted the Argentine to replace Zinedine Zidane after the Frenchman left the club in the summer. However, the Galacticos couldn’t poach the former Espanyol coach at the time. But they are back in for him after sacking Julen Loptegui and Florentino Perez will offer him €20 million-per-year to bring the Argentine to the Santiago Bernabeu, according to Don Balon....
La Liga Real Madrid rejected the chance to sign Alexis Sanchez In a sensational report by Don Balon, it has come to the fore that Real Madrid were offered a chance to sign Alexis Sanchez this past transfer window but Los Blancos passed on that opportunity. Arsenal were ready to sell the Chilean to a club outside England with Sanchez having just a year left on his contract. The Chilean’s agent went to Madrid to conduct talks with the club but Zinedine Zidane rebuffed the proposal....
Gareth Bale lasted only five minutes before he pulled up and went to ground. The Welshman sustained a suspected calf muscle tear. Carlo Ancelotti was forced to make a substitution and had to eventually bring on Javier Hernandez. Luka Modric lasted 56 minutes before he too had to be replaced by Asier Illarramendi. And most reports suggest that the Croatian midfielder will be out of action for five to six weeks....
The Spanish club released a statement Wednesday calling reports of an agreement between Madrid and PSG “completely false.” Madrid says it “has not made any offer to PSG or the player and condemns the spreading of this type of information that has not been proven by the parties concerned.” The denial comes two days after Madrid dismissed a report that it had offered to buy Neymar from PSG for a world record transfer of 310 million euros ($360 million)....
Madrid break Barca’s record with 40th game unbeaten Madrid had won the first leg 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu last week and coach Zinedine Zidane rested players - Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric among them - for this second-leg game at the Sanchez Pizjuan. Despite the deficit, Sevilla boss Jorge Sampaoli said his side would try to make it into the last eight of the Copa del Rey and he was true to his word as his side pushed Madrid back impressively in the first half....
Madrid have knocked city rivals Atletico out of the tournament in each of the last three seasons, two of those victories coming in the final. In-form Isco is eyeing what would be his third European Cup success but knows Diego Simeone’s side represent a significant obstacle to achieving that goal, particularly with their enhanced motivation. Zidane: Ronaldo makes me jealous “Atletico are a very difficult team and the two-legged matches make it even more difficult,” the attacking midfielder said to Codere Apuestas....
The Germany international may be playing his domestic football in Spain nowadays, but he remains an interested observer of goings on in his homeland. Germany 11/2 to win World Cup With a battle for power currently in full swing, Kroos appeared to nail his colours to the Angela Merkel mast following a leadership debate on Sunday. His opinion — having tweeted “Long live Angie!!!” — was not universally well received, with some followers questioning his decision to get involved and offer an opinion in public....
The 80,000 fans who packed into Sebastian Bernabeu stadium for the European fixture were still smarting from the Blancos’ loss last weekend to crosstown rival Atletico Madrid in La Liga. Coach Carlo Ancelotti shuffled his lineup to make room for midfielder Luka Modric, left out of the starting 11 for the clash with Atletico. The change paid dividends at both ends of the field. After contributing to Cristiano Ronaldo‘s goal in the 20th minute, the Croatian made a superb defensive play to prevent the visitors from scoring on a corner....
After the signing of Rodrygo and Militao, Rabiot will be Los Blancos’ third signing for the new season and the deal could be announced soon. In case you didn’t know.. Since his arrival at the French Capital in 2010, Rabiot has made over 200 appearances for the Ligue 1 giants, winning five league titles among numerous other honors with the club. Rabiot is currently benched indefinitely at PSG since last December as the 24-year-old refused to renew his contract with the Ligue 1 giants....
Meanwhile, Los Blancos have identified Mohamed Salah as Kylian Mbappe’s alternative. Elsewhere, the La Liga giants are contemplating a move for a Bayer Leverkusen full-back. On that note, here’s a look at the key Real Madrid transfer stories as on 20th February 2022: Mohamed Salah identified as Kylian Mbappe’s alternative Real Madrid have identified Mohamed Salah as an alternative to Kylian Mbappe, according to The Hard Tackle via Fichajes. The Frenchman is tipped to move to the Santiago Bernabeu as a free agent this summer....
They won the final 1-0 against Germany, courtesy of a goal from Liverpool striker Fernando Torres, set up by Barcelona midfielder Xavi. Players from Real Madrid, Valencia, Villarreal and even Real Mallorca all appeared in that match in Vienna. Two years later, when they won the World Cup by the same scoreline, the influence of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona was clear. Seven of the starting XI played their club football at Camp Nou, although one, David Villa, was a new signing and yet to play a game; the rest were from Madrid, and one, Joan Capdevila, from Villarreal....
Head-to-Head The Galacticos have locked horns six times against the French outfit, winning three in the process while losing twice and drawing once. Their recent match in France resulted in an embarrassing 3-0 loss for the Blancos. Now, however, Madrid are in better form as they have won 5 out of their last 6 matches while conceding only one goal in the process. Real Madrid form guide: W W W D W...
Pep Guardiola’s side held their nerve in an ill-tempered 0-0 draw at Atletico Madrid, meaning Kevin De Bruyne’s solitary goal in the quarterfinal first leg proved decisive. They will next meet record 13-time winners Real Madrid, who prevailed in a thriller against holders Chelsea on Tuesday — Karim Benzema’s fourth goal of the series securing a 5-4 aggregate-goal triumph in extra time. It promises to be an intriguing clash and here’s everything you need to know....
Frenchman Wenger was widely reported to have spoken about having an interest in taking charge at Old Trafford. The quotes were attributed by various publications to an interview with broadcaster beIN SPORTS, for whom Wenger often appears as a pundit. beIN SPORTS issued a response on Twitter, titled “What Arsene Wenger REALLY said about #MUFC…”, and pointing to an interview Wenger gave earlier this month where he discussed United’s slow start to the season....
